Apparatus and method for managing picture data

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for managing picture data receives picture data representing a number of pictures at different times, generates a time code indicating the time of receipt of each picture, and stores the received picture data with a header that includes the time code. In order to retrieve selected pictures, retrieval parameter information is entered to indicate a selected time period, and the picture data that was received during the selected time period is retrieved. The apparatus also forms reduced size picture data for each received picture and stores the reduced size picture data in the header together with the time code for the corresponding picture. Upon retrieving selected ones of the stored pictures, the corresponding reduced size picture data is used to display simultaneously several reduced size pictures representing the pictures that have been retrieved.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/130,468,filed Oct. 1, 1993.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing a databaseof picture data, and more particularly to a method and apparatus forfacilitating storage and retrieval of picture data in a workstation or apersonal computer.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is known to provide databases of information stored in computers inwhich key words are used for classifying and retrieving the data. Forexample, when the database includes a dictionary, defined words are usedas keys and, in response to input of a desired key word, information isretrieved which includes sentences defining the key word and perhapsalso drawings. As another example, when the database includes a library,one or more of book titles, authors' names, names of publishers, datesof publication, and/or words indicating the subject matter of the books,may be used as key words.

It is also sometimes desired that data representative of pictures bestored in a database and retrieved on the basis of key words. Forexample, television stations or newspapers may maintain a database ofpictures to be selected for broadcasting or for publication in anewspaper. It is known to index a picture database by key words thathave been individually assigned to each picture so that the desiredpicture, or more specifically data corresponding thereto, may beretrieved on the basis of the assigned key words.

One drawback of known picture indexing systems is the need to perform atime-consuming process of assigning a unique key word to each picture atthe time it is stored in the database.

Another disadvantage is that in known systems, the pictures retrieved onthe basis of an input key word are displayed sequentially, one at atime, so that the selection of a particular one of the retrievedpictures is slow and inconvenient.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anapparatus and method for storing and retrieving picture data in which adesired picture may be retrieved quickly, with the picture itself beingused as a key.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus and method for managingpicture data in which the storage of picture data may be performedquickly and easily.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda picture data management apparatus for storing and retrieving picturedata, including means for receiving respective picture datarepresentative of a plurality of pictures, means for generating arespective time code indicative of the time of receipt of the respectivepicture data for each of the plurality bf pictures, means for storingthe respective received picture data for each of the plurality ofpictures in association with the time code corresponding to therespective picture data, means for entering retrieval parameterinformation indicative of a selected time period, and means forretrieving the stored picture data that was received during the selectedtime period.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided apicture data management apparatus for storing and retrieving picturedata, including means for receiving respective picture datarepresentative of a plurality of pictures, reduced size picture meansfor forming reduced size picture data for each of the plurality ofpictures, means for storing the respective received picture data foreach one of the plurality of pictures in association with the reducedsize picture data corresponding to the plurality of pictures, means forretrieving the stored picture data and the associated reduced sizepicture data corresponding to selected ones of the plurality ofpictures, and means for simultaneously displaying a plurality of reducedsize pictures corresponding to the retrieved reduced size picture data.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided apicture data management apparatus for storing and receiving picturedata, including means for receiving respective picture datarepresentative of a plurality of pictures, reduced size picture meansfor forming reduced size picture data for each of the plurality ofpictures, means for assigning respective key word data for each of theplurality of pictures, means for storing the respective received picturedata in association with respective header data, the respective headerdata including the reduced size picture data and the assigned key worddata corresponding to the respective received picture data, means forentering retrieval data, means for retrieving the stored picture datacorresponding to the stored key word data that conforms to the enteredretrieval data, means for reading out from the means for storing thereduced size picture data corresponding to the retrieved picture data,and means for displaying the read-out reduced size picture data.According to the latter aspect of the present invention, the picturedata management apparatus preferably includes means for generating arespective time code indicative of a time of receipt of the respectivepicture data for each of the plurality of pictures, and the respectivetime code makes up at least part of the respective key word data foreach of the plurality of pictures. In this case the retrieval datapreferably includes retrieval parameter information indicative of aselected time period.

According to further aspects of the invention, there is provided amethod of storing and retrieving picture data including the steps ofreceiving respective picture data representative of a plurality ofpictures, storing the received picture data, indexing the stored picturedata in accordance with respective times at which the picture data wasreceived or stored, and retrieving such portions of the indexed andstored picture data as were received or stored during a selected timeperiod.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod of storing and retrieving picture data, including the steps ofstoring respective picture data representative of a plurality ofpictures, associating the respective picture data for each of thepictures with a respective time, selecting a retrieval time period, andretrieving the respective picture data associated with times that areincluded in the retrieval time period.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod of storing and retrieving picture data, including the steps ofstoring respective picture data representative of a plurality ofpictures, retrieving the stored picture data corresponding to selectedones of the plurality of pictures, forming respective reduced sizepicture data for at least some of the plurality of pictures, anddisplaying simultaneously a plurality of reduced size pictures on thebasis of the reduced size picture data which corresponds to the selectedones of the plurality of pictures.

The foregoing apparatus and methods according to this invention areadvantageous in that the time of receipt of picture data may beautomatically used as key word or indexing information without asignificant effort on the part of the user, and then the stored picturescan be retrieved on the basis of the time-of-receipt key words.Moreover, by simultaneously displaying reduced pictures representing aplurality of retrieved pictures, selection from among the retrievedpictures can be carried out quickly and conveniently.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptionthereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a picture data management apparatus inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart that illustrates a procedure for receiving andstoring picture data in accordance with the present invention in theapparatus of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic illustrations of respective techniques forforming reduced size picture data from received picture data in theapparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a screen display provided by the apparatusof FIG. 1 for simultaneously displaying picture storage information andpicture retrieval information in accordance with the present invention;and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a procedure for retrievingstored picture data in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A picture data management system in accordance with the presentinvention will now be described with reference to the drawings, andinitially with reference to FIG. 1. The system illustrated in FIG. 1 maybe employed, for example, to provide a database of pictures at anewspaper publishing office.

The picture data management system shown in FIG. 1 includes aworkstation 1 which provides the management functions for the picturedatabase, optical disk recorder/reproducer 2 for recording and/orreproducing picture data on or from an optical disk, a magnetic diskdrive, such as a floppy disk drive 3 for recording and/or reproducingpicture data on or from a floppy disk, a printer 4 for printing pictureson the basis of picture data managed by the system, and a monitor 5 fordisplaying pictures on the basis of the picture data managed by thesystem.

The workstation 1 is connected to a data network via a data terminal 6and is also connected to a telephone line via a telephone terminal 7 anda modem 8. Workstation 1 is arranged to selectively receive picture datafrom either the data network or the telephone line.

The workstation 1 includes a keyboard 31, a mouse 32, a hard disk drive33, a clock/calendar module 34 for providing current date and timeinformation, and a buffer memory 35, as well as conventional features,which are not shown, such as a CPU, program storage memory, workingmemory, data ports and so forth. The buffer memory 35, the workingmemory and the program storage memory may all be embodied, for example,in conventional read/write memory such as RAM. The workstation 1preferably operates under control of multi-tasking operating systemsoftware.

Operation of the picture data management system of FIG. 1 for thepurpose of receiving and storing picture data will now be described withreference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 2.

The procedure of FIG. 2 begins when the power supply for workstation 1is turned on, and the procedure then advances to step S1, at whichreceipt of picture data is awaited. At step S1, if it is determined thatpicture data is being received either via terminal 6 or terminal 7, thenthe procedure advances to step S2, at which the workstation 1 analyzesthe format of the picture data that has been received. In a preferredembodiment of the invention, workstation 1 is adapted to receive andanalyze data in a raster-scanning format and also in such conventionalpicture formats as tag information file format (TIFF) and PICT.

Step S2 is followed by step S3, at which the workstation 1 forms reducedsize picture data on the basis of the picture data that has beenreceived. In connection with step S3, workstation 1 determines the sizeof the received picture data, in pixels, and forms therefrom the reducedsize picture data which, in a preferred embodiment, takes the form of atwo-dimensional array of about 160 pixels by 160 pixels. The reductionin size of the received picture data to form the reduced-size picturedata is preferably carried out by a thinning out process, of whichexamples are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, FIG. 3illustrates a thinning out of 20 pixels arrayed in a horizontaldirection, as shown at (a) in FIG. 3, to produce a horizontal array of10 pixels, as shown at (b), by simply eliminating every other pixel inthe 20 pixel array. Thus, in FIG. 3, a 2-to-1 thinning out procedure isillustrated. A similar procedure, but with a reduction rate of 3-to-2 isillustrated in FIG. 4, in which a horizontal array of 30 input pixels,as shown at (a) of FIG. 4, is thinned out by dropping every third pixelto form a horizontal array of 20 pixels, as shown at (b) in FIG. 4.

It will be appreciated that the thinning out is, in general, carried outin the vertical direction, as well as in the horizontal directionillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. It will also be understood that a greaterreduction rate than 2-to-1, or a smaller reduction rate than 3-to-2, ora rate between these two rates, will be performed as necessary to reducethe received picture data to the desired reduced array size ofapproximately 160×160. It should also be understood that each of thehorizontal and vertical thinning out operations may be performed all inone step, or in a series of horizontal or vertical thinning outoperations, as the case may be. Moreover, the horizontal and verticalthinning out operations may be performed together or in separateoperations.

Formation of reduced picture data in this manner can be performedrapidly, while producing picture data that may be displayed withadequate picture quality for the operator to perform desired functionsusing the picture data management system.

Following step S3 is step S4, at which the reduced size picture dataformed at step S3 is displayed via the monitor 5. The monitor 5 ispreferably of a high resolution type, having, for example, 1280×1024pixels, so that the reduced pictures shown in the approximately 160×160arrays can be recognized easily by the operator. It will be understoodthat the foregoing pixel array sizes mentioned with respect to monitor 5and the preferred size of the reduced size pictures are merelyillustrative, and that the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 5 illustrates a screen display format in which the reduced sizepictures are displayed on monitor 5 in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the invention. The display screen shown in FIG. 5 is in asplit-screen format, including a left-hand portion 10 for displayinginformation relating to picture storage operations, and a right-handportion 20 for displaying information relating to picture retrievaloperations, which will be described later. Alternatively, the retrievaloperation information may be presented in the left-hand portion, and thestorage operation information in the right-hand portion. As anotheralternative, the screen may be split into upper and lower portions withstorage information in the upper portion and retrieval information inthe lower portion, or vice versa. As still other alternatives,respective windows of various shapes and sizes may be displayed for theretrieval and storage information, and such retrieval information andstorage information windows may be displayed simultaneously with otherwindows.

As shown in FIG. 5, the picture storage information portion 10 of thescreen display includes an area 11 for displaying data indicative of thetime at which the picture data was received by the workstation 1, anarea 12 for displaying information indicative of the file format of thereceived picture data, an area 13 for indicating the source (datanetwork or telephone line) of the picture data, and an area 14 fordisplaying key word information that, as discussed below, may be enteredby the operator. The storage information portion 10 also includes astorage actuation button area 15 and an erase button area 16. Further,the portion 10 includes a picture display area 17 which is divided intoseven sub areas, in each of which a reduced size picture may bedisplayed. Associated with the picture display area 17 is a scroll bar18 including a "moveable" shaded portion 19. It will be understood thatthe reduced size picture data generated at step S3 (FIG. 2) is thesource of the data for displaying the reduced size pictures shown in thedisplay sub areas of picture display area 17.

The intake date/time information displayed in area 11 of portion 10 isbased upon date and time data that is automatically generated byclock/calendar module 34 (FIG. 1) each time picture data is receivedfrom the data network or the telephone line. The date and time datagenerated by the clock/calendar module 34 indicates the date and time atwhich the picture data is received.

The file format information shown in area 12 (FIG. 5) is provided on thebasis of the analysis of the picture format that was performed at stepS2 (FIG. 2). The picture source information shown at area 13 isindicative of whether the picture data was received via the data networkor the telephone line.

At a position above the picture display area 17, information is providedconcerning the number of pictures which are awaiting storage processing.For example, in the illustration of FIG. 5, it is assumed that 25pictures have been received and are awaiting storage processing. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the received picture data whichis awaiting storage processing is temporarily stored, together with thereduced size picture data corresponding to the received picture data, inthe buffer memory 35 of workstation 1 (FIG. 1).

For the sake of simplifying the drawing, the reduced size picturesdisplayed in display area 17 are not shown, but it should be understoodthat each of the seven sub areas of display area 17 is used fordisplaying a respective reduced size picture representative of a picturestored in buffer memory 35 and awaiting storage processing. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the seven most recently receivedpictures are displayed, in reduced size form, in the display area 17 (ifthere are at least seven pictures awaiting storage processing), and thenewest of the seven pictures is displayed in the upper-most of the sevendisplay sub areas, with the respective pictures displayed in each of theother display sub areas appearing in a sequence such that each picturewas received before the adjacent picture displayed immediately above.Moreover, if there are more than seven pictures waiting to be processed,older pictures than the newest seven may be "scrolled" by using thescroll bar 18. In particular, by using the mouse 22, the operator may"drag" shaded area 19 of the scroll bar 18 downward, and when the shadedarea 19 is moved to the bottom of the scroll bar 18 and held there, thedisplayed pictures are scrolled upwards among the displayed sub areas ofarea 17 so that the next-older pictures appear in sequence starting atthe bottom-most of the display sub areas, whereas the most recentpictures are scrolled upwards and ultimately out of the display area 17.It will be appreciated that the upward scrolling to obtain olderpictures will end when the oldest picture in the queue comes to bedisplayed in the bottom-most of the seven display sub areas.

By a similar operation the operator may cause the more recent picturesagain to be displayed by dragging the shaded portion 19 upwards to thetop of scroll bar 18 and maintaining the shaded portion 19 at the top ofthe scroll bar 18 as the displayed reduced size pictures are scrolleddownward, with the older pictures being scrolled "off the screen" andmore recent pictures being scrolled onto the screen commencing at theupper-most of the seven display sub areas.

The scroll bar 18 is also operable to permit the operator to select oneof the seven display pictures for storage processing. This may be doneby positioning the shaded portion 19 adjacent to the reduced sizedisplay of the picture to be processed and then "clicking" the mouse.When one of the reduced size pictures displayed in area 17 is selected,the areas 11, 12 and 13 respectively display the time code, file format,and source information corresponding to the selected picture.

It should be understood that when a picture is received by theworkstation 1 from either of the outside sources of picture data, thefunctions of steps S2, S3 and S4 are carried out, with the just-receivedpicture being displayed at the upper-most sub area of display area 17.Because the operating system of the workstation 1 is multi-tasking,receipt of a new picture, and updating of the queue and the display ofqueued pictures, may occur concurrently with a picture storage orpicture retrieval operation of the types to be described.

Because a split-screen format is provided, and the storage portion 10 ofthe screen is updated in real time to reflect receipt of new picturedata, the operator is immediately made aware of the arrival of a newpicture in the queue, even when storage or retrieval operations aretaking place. Also, the operator can readily switch back and forthbetween storage and retrieval operations.

Assuming, now, that one of the seven pictures displayed in the displayarea 5 has been selected for storage processing, the procedure of FIG. 2advances to step S5, at which it is determined whether the user hasentered key word data with respect to the selected picture. The operatormay enter key word data by entering alpha-numeric information, such as aword or words identifying the subject matter of the picture, by way ofthe keyboard 31. If such information is entered, then the same isdisplayed in the display area 14 (step S6). Otherwise, step S7 followsstep S5. At step S7, it is determined whether the operator has actuatedthe storage key. Actuation of the storage key may be accomplished, forexample, by positioning a cursor (such as an arrow) in the storagebutton area 15 and then "clicking" the mouse 32. Upon actuation of thestorage key, step S8 follows, at which workstation 1 generates headerdata to be stored with the received picture data. In a preferredembodiment of the invention the header data includes the reduced sizepicture data previously formed at step S3, the time code informationgenerated by clock/calendar module 34 and displayed in area 11 (FIG. 5)and also any key word information entered by the operator at step S5. Aswill be seen, the time code can be used as a key word for retrieving thestored picture data, even if the operator does not enter additional keyword information.

The header data also preferably includes the file format information andthe picture source information displayed at areas 12 and 13.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, the picture data management systemaccording to the invention may also include a function which allows theoperator to input information, referred to as "credit information",which identifies the organization which supplied the selected picture,the individual photographer who took the picture, a party to whom aroyalty payment is due upon reproduction of the picture, etc. The creditinformation can be included in the header data, so that upon subsequentretrieval of the picture for printing in the newspaper, for example, anappropriate credit line can be generated for publication with thepicture, or a copyright payment can be made, etc. Alternatively or inaddition to operator input of credit information, the credit informationmay be received with the picture data from the data network or thetelephone line.

Following step S8 is step S9, at which the workstation 1 performscertain desired image processing operations on the picture data to bestored so that, for example, a monochrome image in a certain color, suchas red, will be provided upon retrieval of the data. Selection of thedesired image processing may be carried out by the operator in responseto, for example, menu or prompt screens or pull-down menus, which arenot shown.

Step S9 is followed by step S10, at which the workstation 1 converts thedata representing the time of receipt (also referred to as the "timecode key word"), the data indicative of the file format, the reducedsize picture data, and the operator-input key word information, if any,into a format that is appropriate for storage in the database. Theroutine next proceeds to step S11, at which the picture data, togetherwith a header made up of the format-converted data including the reducedsize picture data, the time code key word, the operator-input key wordinformation, if any, and a file name, is stored in the database. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the header data is stored in atable with a pointer or other arrangement for associating the headerdata with the corresponding stored picture data.

The procedure illustrated in FIG. 2 also permits received picturestemporarily stored in the buffer memory 35 to be erased rather thanpermanently stored. Accordingly, if instead of actuating storage key 15,the operator actuates erase button 16 (step S12), which may be done bypositioning the cursor at the button 16 and then clicking the mouse,then the routine proceeds to step S13, at which the picture data for thecurrently selected picture of display portion 17 is erased from buffermemory 35, thereby eliminating that picture from the queue and causingthe pictures below (i.e., older than) the erased picture to scrollupward by one picture.

It will be appreciated that after selection of one of the pictures shownin display area 17, the routine will simply cycle through steps S5, S7and S12 until either the storage button 15 or the erase button 16 isactuated. It will also be appreciated that actuation of either thestorage button 15 or the erase button 16 will cause the picture inquestion to be removed from the queue of pictures awaiting storageprocessing, although in the former case the picture is removed from thequeue only upon permanent storage of the picture in the database.

A function for revising operator-input key word information may alsoadvantageously be provided. For example, before actuation of the storagebutton 15 but after entry of key word information, the display area 14may be selected by manipulation of the mouse, and the displayed key wordinformation may be edited or deleted by pressing keys such as "delete"or "backspace" on the keyboard, and revised key word information maythen be entered. Revision of operator-input key words after storage ofthe picture will be discussed below in connection with retrieval ofstored pictures.

It should also be noted that although step S9, relating to generation ofa desired raster image, is shown as following actuation of the storagekey and generation of header data, this function may be performedearlier in the procedure, such as immediately before or after step S3,or at any other time after step S2 and before step S10.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, step S11 entailstransferring the picture data and the associated header data with thereduced size picture data and the time code from buffer memory 35 (i.e.,RAM) to a permanent or quasi-permanent storage medium such as a floppydisk or a recordable optical disk via floppy disk drive 3 or opticaldisk recording/reproducing device 2. Alternatively, the picture databasemay be permanently stored on the hard disk 33, or, as anotheralternative, the buffer memory 35 may be implemented on the hard disk33, with the storage in the database involving a transfer from the harddisk 33 to floppy disk drive 3 or optical disk recorder/reproducer 2.

Operation of the picture data management system for retrieval of storedpictures will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

Referring initially to FIG. 5, it will be recalled that the right-handportion 20 of the split-screen display of FIG. 5 is devoted todisplaying picture retrieval information. In particular the portion 20includes a "display all pictures" button 21, a date/time retrievalparameter display area 22, a key word display area 23, logical functionbuttons 24, retrieval parameter initialization button 25, retrievebutton 26, output button 27, and retrieved picture display area 28, thelatter including seven display sub areas.

Associated with the retrieved picture display area 28 is a scroll bar 29which has a shaded portion 30.

FIG. 6, which will now be referred to in addition to FIG. 5, is a flowchart that illustrates picture retrieval operations in accordance withthe present invention. For the purposes of the present discussion, itwill be assumed that the picture database is maintained on the hard disk33, although it should be understood that the database may,alternatively or in addition, be stored on the floppy disk in floppydisk drive 3 and/or on an optical disk present in optical diskrecorder/reproducer 2.

The procedure of FIG. 6 is initiated whenever the operator of the systemdesires to retrieve a picture that has been stored in the picturedatabase. The operator may, for example, indicate that a pictureretrieval operation is to begin by manipulating the mouse 32 so that thecursor is moved from the picture storage portion 10 of the screendisplay over to the picture retrieval portion 20 of the display.

The procedure of FIG. 6 begins with step S101, in which the operatorenters the retrieval parameters to be used in retrieving the desiredpicture or pictures. The retrieval parameters may be entered in a numberof different ways.

A first way in which retrieval parameters may be entered is simply byactuating the "display all" button 21, in which case all of the picturesin the picture database will be displayed in a sequence that preferablybegins with the most recently received pictures and continues in orderto the oldest of the pictures in the database.

A more limited retrieval period may be selected by entering one or twodates (which may also include a time of day) via the keyboard 31. Thedate or dates entered are then displayed in the "date/time of intake"display area 22 of the display portion 20.

It will be noted that there are associated with the display area 22indicators labeled "before period", "after period", and "within period".If only one date has been entered and is displayed in the display area22, then either the "before period" or the "after period" indicators maybe selected by, for example, using the mouse to position the cursor onthe desired indicator and then clicking the mouse button. If the "beforeperiod" indicator is selected, then all pictures stored in the databasewhich were received on or before (or alternatively, exclusively before)the entered date are to be retrieved. Preferably the retrieval beginswith the last picture received on the selected date and then continuessequentially in order to the oldest picture in the database. If the"after period" indicator is selected, then the pictures to be retrievedfrom the database are all of those that have been received on or after(or alternatively, exclusively after) the entered date. Preferablyretrieval begins with the picture stored in the database that was mostrecently received and continues sequentially to the oldest picture inthe database that was received on or after the entered date.

If two dates are entered, then preferably the "within period" indicatoris automatically selected and the pictures to be retrieved from thedatabase are those which were received on or after the earlier of thetwo dates and on or before the later of the two dates (again, thepicture data management system may alternatively be arranged so that thebeginning and ending dates are construed as exclusive, rather theninclusive).

As an alternative method of using two dates for defining a retrievalperiod, the picture data management system may include the option ofselectively deactivating the "within period" indicator at a time whentwo dates have been entered, in which case the pictures to be retrievedfrom the database are those which were received (on or) before theearlier of the two dates and also those which were received (on or)after the later of the two dates, with the pictures received between thetwo dates not being retrieved. It will be appreciated that virtually thesame result in terms of retrieving all pictures in the database exceptthose received during the period defined between two dates could also beobtained in a two step operation in which, for example, all of thepictures received before the earlier date were retrieved and then all ofthe pictures received after the later date were retrieved.

It will be seen from all of the foregoing that the time code,automatically generated and associated with each of the stored picturesduring the picture storage operation as previously described, is ineffect used as a key word which allows retrieval based on the respectivetimes of receipt of the pictures stored in the database.

Because the picture storage operations described above included, at theoperator's option, assignment of a key word or words (in addition to thetime code) to each of the pictures at the time of storage, retrievalusing the operator-assigned key words can also be accomplished. This canbe done by entering alpha-numeric information corresponding to one ofthe previously assigned key words via the keyboard 31. The enteredinformation is displayed in the key word display area 23 of the displayportion 20.

It will be appreciated that if only alpha-numeric key wordscorresponding to those that have been previously been assigned by anoperator are used, then the retrieval process per se is similar toconventional methods using key words. However, the key word displayed indisplay area 23 may be logically combined with a retrieval period basedon a date or dates displayed in display area 22. For example, ifinformation is displayed in both of the areas 22 and 23, the picturedata management system may be arranged so that one of the logicalfunction indicators 24 (for example the "AND" indicator) may beautomatically activated. In that case, the operator has the option ofactivating the other logical function, namely the "OR" function.Retrieval of stored pictures will then be performed on the basis of thelogically combined time code and operator-assigned key word retrievalparameters, as selected by the operator.

It will be appreciated that the picture data management system may bearranged to analyze information input during picture retrievaloperations via keyboard 31 in order determine whether the inputinformation is indicative of a date or of an alpha-numeric key word, sothat the entered information is automatically displayed in theappropriate one of the display areas 22 and 23. Alternatively, thesystem may be arranged so that the operator selects one of the areas 22or 23 (using the mouse to move a cursor, for example,) with the enteredinformation then being displayed in the selected one of the twodisplays.

When all of the desired date and/or alpha-numeric key word informationhas been entered, and a logical function selected, if appropriate, thenthe operator proceeds to actuate retrieve button 26. In response toactuation of retrieve button 26, the system proceeds to retrieve all ofthe stored pictures that meet the entered retrieval information, and theretrieved pictures are then displayed in the sub areas of display area28 (step S102, FIG. 6). It should be noted that if the "display all"button 21 is actuated, this has the effect of also actuating theretrieve function so that the retrieve button 26 does not need to beactuated after the "display all" button 21. The retrieval operation mayentail, for example, searching the table of header data in the databaseto find pictures which satisfy the retrieval parameters.

It should also be noted that if the operator desires to change theretrieval information displayed in the areas 22 and 23 before actuatingthe retrieve button 26, or if the operator wishes to commence a newretrieval operation instead of a retrieval operation which is being oralready has been performed, then the operator may actuate the initializebutton 25, which clears the display areas 22 and 23 and allows theoperator to enter new retrieval information, including, if desired, the"display all" option.

As noted above, if retrieval is to be performed other than through the"display all" option, the retrieval process entails searching throughthe header data associated with the stored pictures on the hard disk todetermine which of the stored pictures meet the retrieval criteriaentered by the operator. With respect to the pictures which meet thecriteria, preferably at least a pointer to the location on the hard diskis retrieved and stored in working memory, together with the associatedreduced size picture data which are present in the header data. When theretrieval operation is complete, the number of pictures retrieved isindicated by a legend displayed above the display area 28, and reducedsize pictures corresponding to the retrieved pictures are displayed inthe sub areas of the display area 28. Preferably, as in the case of thestorage operation, the reduced size pictures corresponding to theretrieved pictures are displayed in reverse order of receipt, with themost recent picture displayed in the upper-most of the display sub areasof display area 28 and the less recently received pictures thendisplayed in sequence in reverse order of receipt in the display subareas below the upper-most display sub area. If the number of picturesexceeds seven, which is the number of display sub areas, then the olderof the retrieved pictures can be scrolled into the display area 28 (withthe newest of the retrieved pictures being scrolled out) by using thescroll bar 29 and its shaded area 30 in a similar manner to thatdescribed with respect to the scroll bar 18 in the display portion 10.In particular, the mouse can be used to drag the shaded portion 30 ofthe scroll bar 29 down to the bottom of the scroll bar 29, and if thedragging operation is maintained after the shaded portion 30 is at thebottom of the scroll bar 29, then the scrolling of the older picturesinto the display area 28 occurs.

The shaded portion 30 can also be used to select a desired one of thepictures displayed in the display area 28 by moving the shaded area 30so that it is adjacent to the desired picture and then, for example,clicking the mouse button. Once a picture has been selected, theoperator can select either a "printer" or an "external" output mode(which are respectively represented by indicators associated with theoutput button 27) and then may actuate the output button 27.

Accordingly, and referring again to FIG. 6, after step S102, at whichthe retrieved pictures are displayed, the system awaits selection of apicture for output (step S103) and if a picture is selected for output,then the system proceeds to step S104 and outputs the selected picturein accordance with the selected output mode. If the printer was selectedas the output mode, then the work station 1 converts the retrievedpicture data into an appropriate format for output via the printer 4 andthe converted data is then outputted to the printer 4, which prints ahard copy of the desired picture. Alternatively, if the external outputmode is selected, then again any necessary data conversion is performedand the converted picture data is output to the data network via theterminal 6. It will be noted that although not shown in the display ofFIG. 5, sub options may be provided under the "external" output mode sothat operator can select between outputting the picture data to the datanetwork via the terminal 6 and outputting the picture data via thetelephone line, using the modem 8 and the terminal 7.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, it should be understood that a functionmay be provided whereby the operator can cause a selected retrievedpicture to be displayed full size on the monitor 5 and then can returnto the split-screen display of FIG. 5. This function could be carriedout, for example, using a pull-down menu or keyboard function keys (notshown). Such a full screen display function could also be provided withrespect to a picture selected from the queue during the storageoperation described above.

According to another function that may be provided in the picture datamanagement system, the operator-input key word for a selected retrievedpicture can be displayed and edited, in a dialog box for example. Theedited key word is then stored in the database.

Referring once again to FIG. 6, at times when the system is awaitingselection of a picture for output, it is also possible to change theretrieval parameters (step S105) by actuating the initialize key 25, inwhich case the routine of FIG. 6 returns to step S101 to permit entry ofnew retrieval information. At the same time, preferably the display area28 is cleared, and the pointers and reduced size picture data from thepreviously retrieved pictures are also preferably cleared from theworking memory.

Thus the picture data management system is operable so that a hard copycan be generated from a selected retrieved picture, or a selectedretrieved picture can be communicated in data form to anotherworkstation. It will be appreciated that other forms of output may alsobe optionally provided, such as displaying the selected retrievedpicture in full size on the monitor 5, or on another monitor or displayunit (not shown) connected to the picture data management system. It isalso within the contemplation of this invention that a selectedretrieved picture be output to another device for storage on a recordingmedium such as a magnetic tape or a recordable video disk.

Furthermore, in the picture data management system as described above, areduced size picture is automatically generated for each picture that isreceived, and when a picture is stored in the database, thecorresponding reduced size picture is stored therewith. In this way,retrieval operations are facilitated by displaying plural reducedpictures at the same time so that selection among retrieved pictures canbe readily performed. Also, the reduced size pictures formed at the timethe pictures are received can facilitate the operator's decision whetherto store a newly received picture, since plural reduced picturescorresponding to the newly received pictures can be simultaneouslydisplayed so that the operator can readily determine whether the newlyreceived picture has already been stored in the database, or is not tobe stored for some other reason.

In addition, a time code is automatically generated and stored as a keyword for the picture data so that it is not necessary for the operatorto generate and assign a key word to each picture during the storageprocess. In this way, less time and effort is required for receiving andstoring pictures, and during retrieval the time at which the pictureswere received can be used as key word data. An advantage of time-basedindexing and retrieval of the picture data is that an operator whowishes to retrieve a picture concerning a particular event, need onlyrecall the date on which the event occurred and enter retrievalinformation accordingly, in order to readily find the desired picture.

Accordingly, the picture data management system as described above iscapable of conveniently receiving and storing picture data as well asretrieving, displaying and outputting the received and stored picturedata.

Although in the embodiment of the invention as described above, thepicture database has been described as consisting of picture datareceived "by wire", that is, via a data network or telephone line, theinvention is not limited thereto. For example, some or all of thepicture database could be provided to the system in the form of aprerecorded optical or floppy disk, in which the data for each pictureare stored in association with a corresponding date or time code andreduced size picture data. The time code and reduced size picture datamay, but need not be, stored as header data, as in the embodimentpreviously described. As an alternative, the association between thetime codes and reduced picture data and the corresponding full sizepicture data may be accomplished by means of look-up tables or the like.(It will be appreciated that look-up tables could also be used in theembodiment described above, as an alternative to the headers includingthe time code, reduced size picture data, etc.).

As another alternative, a large part or all of the picture database maybe down-loaded at one time to the workstation 1, rather than havingpictures transmitted and received one by one, and screened one by onefor storage, as was previously described. In this case, a time code foreach picture is preferably included in the down-loaded data. Thedown-loaded data may be stored, for example, on the hard disk. In eitherthe down-load or prerecorded medium examples, additional preassigned keywords may be included in the data.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the reduced size picturedata is not, at least in some cases, stored in the database. Rather, thereduced size picture data is formed when it is needed for display, thatis, when the picture data is initially received, or when a previouslystored picture is retrieved. In other words, in this alternativeembodiment, the reduced size picture data is formed on such occasionswhen a reduced size picture needs to be displayed with other reducedsize pictures on the monitor 5 and at other times the reduced sizepicture data is not stored or maintained in memory. This alternativeapproach may require longer processing time and/or more powerfulprocessing circuitry, but would permit more efficient utilization of thestorage capacity of the system.

It is also within the contemplation of this invention to use time-basedindexing techniques for the picture database in addition to the approachpreviously described in which a respective time code is associated witheach stored picture. For example, the pictures could be stored in groupsor categories, each of which corresponds to a respective time period,such as a particular day, week, month or year. In this way, time-periodbased retrieval could still be performed, even without assigning a timecode to each picture.

As another alternative, and assuming again that time codes are to beassigned to each picture, the time code could be based on the date (andpossibly also the time) of storage, of original taking of the picture,or on some other basis.

Furthermore, in the above description of selecting desired retrievaltime periods, the periods were based upon starting and/or ending pointsin time. However, the desired retrieval periods could be expressed inother ways, such as a given day, week, month or year. For example, asuitable pull-down menu and dialog box could be provided in the userinterface (but are not shown herein), so that the operator is promptedto make an entry such as "July, 1992" in which case all pictures withtime codes corresponding to the selected month of July, 1992, would beretrieved.

To make explicit what has been implied above, the user interface mayinclude, in addition to or as a substitute for the mouse-based interfacedescribed herein, an interface which includes menu screens, positioningof a cursor by arrow keys that are part of the keyboard 31, dedicatedfunction keys located on the keyboard 31, selection of functions usingan "enter" key on the keyboard 31, etc. Also, the mouse-based interfaceas previously described may include pull-down menus, dialog boxes andother conventional elements of user interfaces for microcomputersystems. A touch screen or the like could also be used.

Although it is particularly advantageous to use both time-based indexingand retrieval of pictures and simultaneous display of plural reducedsize pictures together in a single picture data management system, it iswithin the contemplation of the invention that only one of thesefeatures be included in a picture data management system.

Having described specific preferred embodiments of the present inventionwith reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and thatvarious changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilledin the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A picture data management apparatus for storingand retrieving picture data, comprising:means for receiving respectivepicture data representative of a plurality of pictures, and forreceiving credit information including at least one indicia of source orownership for at least one of said pictures; means for generating arespective time code for each of said plurality of pictures indicativeof the time of receipt of each of said pictures by said means forreceiving; means for receiving a respective storage or eliminationcommand at a time subsequent to the time of receipt of the respectivepicture data; means for selectively storing or eliminating therespective received picture data, credit information and time codeindicative of the time of receipt of each of said pictures by said meansfor receiving, which is prior to the time of storage or elimination, foreach of said plurality of pictures in association with said time codecorresponding to the respective received picture data in response to therespective storage or elimination command; means for entering retrievalparameter information indicative of a selected time period indicative ofthe time of receipt of particular picture data by said means forreceiving; retrieving means for retrieving the stored picture data forwhich said time codes correspond to said selected time period, thusindicating that the retrieved picture data was received by said meansfor receiving during said selected time period; and output means foroutputting the stored picture data retrieved by said retrieving means,said output means being further adapted to output said creditinformation with the stored picture data to selectively provide thecredit information therewith or indicate whether and to whom furtherpayment must be made.
 2. The picture data management apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein said retrieval parameter information specifies astarting time for said selected time period.
 3. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said retrievalparameter information also specifies an ending time for said selectedtime period.
 4. The picture data management apparatus according to claim1, wherein said retrieval parameter information specifies an ending timefor said selected time period.
 5. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising means for displayingsimultaneously storage information related to storage of said receivedpicture data and retrieval information related to retrieval of saidstored picture data.
 6. The picture data management apparatus accordingto claim 5, wherein said storage information and said retrievalinformation are displayed in a split-screen format in which a firstportion of said split-screen format is devoted to said storageinformation and a second portion of said split-screen format is devotedto said retrieval information.
 7. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said means for receiving is connected to adata network.
 8. The picture data management apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein said means for receiving is connected to a telephoneline.
 9. The picture data management apparatus according to claim 1,wherein said means for storing comprises a hard disk.
 10. The picturedata management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the respectivereceived picture data for each of said plurality of pictures is storedin association with respective header data and said respective headerdata includes said time code corresponding to the respective receivedpicture data.
 11. The picture data management apparatus according toclaim 10, wherein said means for receiving is connected to a datanetwork and to a telephone line and is adapted to selectively receivesaid respective picture data from one of said data network and saidtelephone line.
 12. The picture data management apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein said respective header data includes data indicativeof a source of said respective received picture data, said source beingone of said data network and said telephone line.
 13. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said selected time period is a time ofstorage period.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saidselected time period is a time of receipt period.
 15. A picture datamanagement apparatus for storing and retrieving picture data,comprising:means for receiving respective picture data representative ofa plurality of pictures, and for receiving credit information includingat least one indicia of source or ownership for at least one of saidpictures; means for generating a respective time code for each of saidplurality of pictures indicative of the time of receipt of each of saidpictures by said means for receiving; reduced size picture means forforming reduced size picture data for each of said plurality ofpictures; means for storing the respective received picture data, creditinformation and time code indicative of the time of receipt of saidpictures by said means for receiving, which is prior to the time ofstorage for each one of said plurality of pictures and for storing inassociation therewith said reduced size picture data corresponding tosaid each one of said plurality of pictures; means for enteringretrieval parameter information indicative of a selected time periodindicative of the time of receipt of particular picture data by saidmeans for receiving; retrieving means for retrieving the stored picturedata and the associated reduced size picture data for which said timecodes correspond to said selected time period, thus indicating that theretrieved picture data was received by said means for receiving duringsaid selected time period; means for simultaneously displaying aplurality of reduced size pictures corresponding to the retrievedreduced size picture data; and output means for outputting the storedpicture data retrieved by said retrieving means, said output means beingfurther adapted to output said credit information with the storedpicture data to selectively provide the credit information therewith orindicate whether and to whom further payment must be made.
 16. Thepicture data management apparatus according to claim 15, wherein saidreduced size picture means forms said reduced size picture data bythinning out said received picture data.
 17. The picture data managementapparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a buffer memory fortemporarily storing the received picture data and the reduced sizepicture data formed by the reduced size picture means before saidreceived picture data and said reduced size picture data are stored insaid means for storing.
 18. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 17, further comprising operator input means andmeans, responsive to said operator input means, for selectivelytransferring to said means for storing the received picture data and thereduced size picture data stored in said buffer memory.
 19. The picturedata management apparatus according to claim 18, further comprisingmeans, responsive to said operator input means, for selectively erasingthe received picture data and the reduced size picture data stored insaid buffer memory.
 20. The picture data management apparatus accordingto claim 17, wherein said means for displaying has a predeterminednumber of display areas for displaying a like number of reduced sizepictures corresponding to the picture data stored in said buffer memory,and wherein said means for displaying displays the reduced size picturescorresponding to most recently received picture data when a number ofpictures for which received picture data is stored in said buffer memoryexceeds said predetermined number of display areas.
 21. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said means forreceiving is connected to a data network.
 22. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said means forreceiving is connected to a telephone line.
 23. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said means forstoring comprises a hard disk.
 24. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 15, wherein the respective received picture data foreach of said plurality of pictures is stored in association withrespective header data and said respective header data includesrespective reduced size picture data corresponding to the respectivereceived picture data.
 25. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 24, further comprising means for indexing said storedpicture data in accordance with respective times at which said storedpicture data was received; and wherein said means for storing isoperative to store said respective received picture data and therespective reception times at respective times subsequent to saidrespective reception times, and said means for retrieving comprisesmeans for retrieving such portions of the indexed and stored picturedata as were received during a selected time period.
 26. The picturedata management apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said respectiveheader data also includes a time code indicative of a time at which therespective picture data was received.
 27. The picture data managementapparatus according to claim 24, wherein said means for receiving isconnected to a data network and to a telephone line and is adapted toselectively receive said respective picture data from one of said datanetwork and said telephone line.
 28. The picture data managementapparatus according to claim 27, wherein said respective header dataincludes data indicative of a source of said respective received picturedata, said source being one of said data network and said telephoneline.
 29. The picture data management apparatus according to claim 15,further comprising means for detecting reception of said picture data bysaid means for receiving, and wherein said reduced size picture means isoperative to form said reduced size picture data upon the detection ofsaid reception of said picture data by said means for detecting.
 30. Theapparatus according to claim 15, wherein said selected time period is atime of storage period.
 31. The apparatus according to claim 15, whereinsaid selected time period is a time of receipt period.
 32. A picturedata management apparatus for storing and retrieving picture data,comprising:means for receiving respective picture data representative ofa plurality of pictures, and for receiving credit information includingat least one indicia of source or ownership for at least one of saidpictures; means for generating a respective time code for each of saidplurality of pictures indicative of the time of receipt of each of saidpictures by said means for receiving; reduced size picture means forforming reduced size picture data for each of said plurality ofpictures; means for receiving a respective storage command at a timesubsequent to the time of receipt of the respective picture data andcredit information; means for assigning respective keyword data for eachof said plurality of pictures; means for combining said respective timecodes indicative of the time of receipt of each of said pictures by saidmeans for receiving, which is prior to the time of receipt of saidrespective storage command, reduced size picture data and keyword datacorresponding to respective received picture data to form header dataassociated with said respective received picture data; means for storingthe respective received picture data and associated respective headerdata in response to the respective storage command; means for enteringretrieval data; retrieving means for retrieving the stored picture datacorresponding to stored header data that conforms to said enteredretrieval data; means for reading out from said means for storing thereduced size picture data corresponding to the retrieved picture data;means for displaying simultaneously a plurality of reduced size picturescorresponding to the read-out reduced size picture data; and outputmeans for outputting the stored picture data retrieved by saidretrieving means, said output means being further adapted to output saidcredit information with the stored picture data to selectively providethe credit information therewith or indicate whether and to whom furtherpayment must be made.
 33. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 32, wherein said retrieval data includes retrievalparameter information indicative of a selected time period.
 34. Thepicture data management apparatus according to claim 33, wherein saidretrieval parameter information specifies a starting time for saidselected time period.
 35. The picture data management apparatusaccording to claim 33, wherein said retrieval parameter data specifiesan ending time for said selected time period.
 36. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said means fordisplaying simultaneously is also operative to display storageinformation related to storage of said received picture data andretrieval information related to retrieval of said stored picture data.37. The picture data management apparatus according to claim 36, whereinsaid storage information and said retrieval information are displayed ina split-screen format in which a first portion of said split-screenformat is devoted to said storage information and a second portion ofsaid split-screen format is devoted to said retrieval information. 38.The picture data management apparatus according to claim 32, whereinsaid means for receiving is connected to a data network.
 39. The picturedata management apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said means forreceiving is connected to a telephone line.
 40. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said means forreceiving is connected to a data network and to a telephone line and isadapted to selectively receive said respective picture data from one ofsaid data network and said telephone line.
 41. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said respectiveheader data includes data indicative of a source of said respectivereceived picture data, said source being one of said data network andsaid telephone line.
 42. The picture data management apparatus accordingto claim 32, further comprising a buffer memory for temporarily storingthe received picture data and the reduced size picture data formed bythe reduced size picture means before said received data and saidreduced size data are stored in said means for storing.
 43. The picturedata management apparatus according to claim 42, further comprisingoperator input means and means, responsive to said operator input means,for selectively transferring to said means for storing the receivedpicture data and the reduced size picture data stored in said buffermemory.
 44. The picture data management apparatus according to claim 43,further comprising means, responsive to said operator input means, forselectively erasing the received picture data and the reduced sizepicture data stored in said buffer memory.
 45. The picture datamanagement apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said means forstoring comprises a hard disk.
 46. A method of storing and retrievingpicture data, comprising the steps of:receiving respective picture datarepresentative of a plurality of pictures, and receiving creditinformation including at least one indicia of source or ownership for atleast one of said pictures; generating a respective time code for eachof said plurality of pictures indicative of the time of receipt of eachof said pictures; receiving a respective storage or elimination commandat a time subsequent to said time of receipt of the respective picturedata and credit information; selectively storing or eliminating saidreceived picture data credit information and time code indicative of thetime of receipt of each of said pictures, which is prior to the time forstorage or elimination, in association with said time code correspondingto the respective received picture data in response to the respectivestorage or elimination command; indexing said stored picture data inaccordance with respective time codes so that said stored picture datais indexed in accordance with the time of receipt of said picture data;retrieving such portions of the indexed and stored picture data forwhich said time codes correspond to a selected time period, thusindicating that the retrieved picture data was received during saidselected time period; outputting at least a portion of said indexed andstored picture data; and outputting the credit information associatedwith said retrieved portions of said picture data with the storedpicture data to selectively provide the credit information therewith orindicate whether and to whom further payment must be made.
 47. Themethod according to claim 46, wherein said storing and indexing stepsare performed substantially simultaneously.
 48. The method according toclaim 46, wherein said selected time period is a time of storage period.49. The method according to claim 46, wherein said selected time periodis a time of receipt period.
 50. A method of storing and retrievingpicture data, comprising the steps of:receiving respective picture datarepresentative of a plurality of pictures, and receiving creditinformation including at least one indicia of source or ownership for atleast one of said pictures; generating a respective time code for eachof said plurality of pictures indicative of the time of receipt of eachof said pictures; storing said respective picture data, creditinformation and time code indicative of the time of receipt of each ofsaid pictures, which is prior to the time of storage; forming respectivereduced size picture data for each of said plurality of pictures;storing the respective reduced size picture data for each one of saidplurality of pictures and storing in association therewith saidrespective picture data, credit information and time code; receivingretrieval parameter information indicative of a selected time period;retrieving the stored reduced size picture data for which said timecodes correspond to said selected time period, thus indicating that theretrieved reduced size picture was received during said selected timeperiod; displaying simultaneously a plurality of reduced size picturedata which correspond to said selected time period; selecting at leastone of said reduced size picture data; outputting said stored picturedata associated with said selected reduced size picture data; andoutputting the credit information associated with said output portionsof said picture data to selectively provide the credit informationtherewith or indicate whether payment must be made.
 51. The methodaccording to claim 50, wherein said storing steps are performedsubstantially simultaneously and said forming step is performed beforesaid storing steps.
 52. The method according to claim 51, wherein therespective picture data and the associated reduced size picture data arestored on an optical disk.
 53. The method according to claim 51, furthercomprising the steps of receiving and temporarily storing saidrespective picture data before said forming step.
 54. The methodaccording to claim 51, wherein said respective picture data are storedin association with respective header data which includes the reducedsize picture data formed for the corresponding picture.
 55. The methodaccording to claim 50, further comprising the steps of generating asecond repective time code indicative of a time of receipt of therespective picture data for each of said plurality of pictures,receiving a respective storage command at a time subsequent to said timeof receipt of the respective picture data, and wherein the step ofstoring said respective picture data representative of said plurality ofpictures comprises storing said second time code corresponding to therespective received picture data in association with each of saidplurality of pictures in response to the respective storage command. 56.The method according to claim 50, further comprising the step ofdetecting reception of said picture data, and wherein the step offorming respective reduced size picture data for each of said pluralityof pictures is carried out upon the detection of said reception of saidpicture data.
 57. The method according to claim 50, wherein saidselected time period is a time of storage period.
 58. The methodaccording to claim 50, wherein said selected time period is a time ofreceipt period.